A Thousand Miles
by sierra.steinbrecher
Summary: Two musicians. One has been missing for almost a year, the other just finished a world tour. So it's fitting that the song to bring them together would be A Thousand Miles. Don't own


The two girls stood in line to buy their concert tickets to the most talked about event of the summer. "How does Yami feel about this?"

Her friend scoffed. "Please. That Yugi's been missing for over a year. He probably moved on from her already."

"But he's been looking for her everywhere!" replied the other Yami fan. "I told you what _Popular _said the other day. Every time he went to a new tour stop, he'd drive around for hours looking for her."

"Well maybe Yugi was hiding from him," shot back the other girl. "She was certainly good at it. This is the first time anyone's heard anything about her in months. Star Pianists don't usually vanish."

"You don't know." Her friend returned verbal fire. "Even stars have family. Maybe something came up."

"I still think Yami's wasted on her." Her eyes got a dreamy look. "His voice is amazing."

The girl whacked her dreamy-eyed friend. "Yeah, you'd notice that if you would stop staring at him all the time. Why not just hold a poster in front of your face all the time?"

The girl returned the whack with a playful. "Oh hush," and they walked up to the booth to buy their tickets for the "Thousand Miles" concert featuring Yami at the tail end of his world tour and Yugi after a year-long absence from the spotlight. No one wanted to miss this.

* * *

Mai walked into the backstage room where Yami, her younger brother and client, would be waiting to go onstage. She quickly wadded up the magazines with Yugi's picture or name on the front. Which was most of them. _Disappear and most of the world suddenly takes notice of you, _she thought as she tossed the magazines in a nearby trashcan, smirking. That girl really had some spunk, especially where her brother was concerned.

Speak of the devil. Yami walked in just as she was finishing up and her mood fell at the way his shoulders slumped and his trademark star-hair drooped. "Just this one last concert, Yami. Then I promise we'll take it easy for a while." He attempted to smile at his sister and manager, but the effort fell flat. She frowned.

A quick glance at the clock told her they still had fifteen or so minutes before they needed to worry about getting onstage. The curvy blonde sat down on the couch and gestured for Yami to join her, which he did. Once he was seated, she grabbed his hand and looked straight into those purple eyes that had half the nation's girls squealing.

Yami groaned to himself. Mai only did this when she wanted answers. "I'm just tired from all the traveling. Did you really have to program a world tour?"

She laughed, making him smile, just a little. "Your fame's off the charts now, brother. But I don't think you're just tired."

He looked away. "Please don't bring her up again."

"I'm just saying, " continued Mai, "maybe you should consider moving on from her. You haven't heard anything for almost a year."

"No!" he almost shouted at her. "I will not do that to Yugi, she deserves better than that."

"There!" she pointed at his face. "That's the Yami I know." He relaxed when he realized she'd just been trying to make him feel better. That was Mai for you. She grinned at him. "You just get through this, hon, and we'll look all over town for your little lady."

Yami nodded reluctantly. A man in a three piece suit opened the door leading to the main backstage area and told Yami that they were almost ready for him. The boy got up off the couch and started walking towards where he would make his entrance from.

Even without all the worry about Yugi, this tour would have been draining for him. He'd performed a handful of songs with the most prominent piano player from that area, without knowing anything about their style or how to best compliment their playing. It hadn't been easy.

But for those at least, he had had rehearsals. He didn't even know who the accompanist would be for this performance, he just knew it probably wouldn't be the one he'd been dreaming about ever since they met about three years ago for a symphony performance. She'd been so cute at the time, the youngest in the symphony at the age of fifteen. They'd laughed over their crazily similar hair and practiced until her fingers almost dropped and he'd sung himself hoarse. But the performance had been worth it. _Still, _he thought as he climbed the stairs up to the entrance, _she was even more beautiful last time I saw her._ He heard the piano begin the opening and stepped out onto the stage.

It was a beautiful building, with seats that swept up and away from the orchestra. As the piano continued, he walked in front of the orchestra and faced his audience, trying to ignore the many fans screaming his name. He reached the microphone just in time to sing the first few lines.

_Making my way downtown  
Walking fast  
Faces pass  
And I'm home bound_

He let the piano music splash around him. The pianist had a superbly light touch, making the notes crisp and sweet. He leaned forward for the next part, almost kissing the microphone.

_Staring blankly ahead  
Just making my way  
Making a way  
Through the crowd_

In fact, that light touch almost sounded like… He turned for a moment in between the verse and refrain and caught a glimpse of dark purple-tipped hair. But that was all he could see before he had to turn back to the microphone.

_And I need you  
And I miss you  
And now I wonder..._

The violins came in right on cue, moving in sync to create that great beat. Yami decided to improvise a little. He took the microphone out of its stand, untwined the cord, and inspected the piano player for the refrain.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could  
Just see you  
Tonight_

It was her. She might have swirled her hair into an elegant bun with her blonde bangs tucked away, but those small, delicate fingers flying over the keys belonged to no one else. He began to walk towards her at the beginning of the next verse not noticing that the space between his stand her her piano was conveniently empty of obstacles.

_It's always times like these  
When I think of you  
And I wonder  
If you ever  
Think of me_

She heard the gentle thump as he put his elbows on the side of the piano and she could feel his smile. Oh, how she had missed that smile in the year she'd been taking care of her grandfather after his stroke. She smiled back at him.

_'Cause everything's so wrong  
And I don't belong  
Living in your  
Precious memory_

The piano stopped for the violin bridge. Free from the music pages, she looked at him for the first time that night.

_'Cause I need you_

Her eyes were just as bright a amethyst as he remembered.

_And I miss you_

She mouthed, I did too.

_And now I wonder..._

She resumed playing, but there was something different in it now. Perhaps she pressed the keys harder. Or maybe she blended notes more superbly. Whatever it was, the level of passion increased and violinists poured over their bows, the brass section went crazy, and fingers danced and flew over the piano keys. Both she and he openly smiled now.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could  
Just see you  
Tonight_

He slid onto the bench beside her and slipped an arm around her shoulders as the rest of the orchestra carried the music for a moment. It was so good to hold her again, like they used to, driving to concerts, getting through boring meetings. She leaned into the touch. After all that time spent alone with her grandfather, this kind of contact had been sorely missed.

_And I, I  
Don't want to let you know  
I, I  
Drown in your memory  
I, I  
Don't want to let this go  
I, I  
Don't..._

He continued to sit next to her watching her fingers caress each white or black key. He couldn't wait for the concert to be over, to catch that hand and kiss it.

_Making my way downtown  
Walking fast  
Faces pass  
And I'm home bound_

He got up off the bench as she leaned back and smiled at him for a moment and he admired her skill. Very few could play that beautifully without looking. But she could. That was why it had been such a big deal when she vanished. She was the best in most of Japan.

_Staring blankly ahead  
Just making my way  
Making a way  
Through the crowd_

Then the violins started again and he knelt down next to where she sat enthroned at her instrument. She turned and let him grab one of her hands.

_And I still need you  
And I still miss you  
And now I wonder..._

Somewhere, a backup piano began playing. Yami would have to thank Mai later for arranging that. He lifted Yugi out of her seat and sang even more softly.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass us by_

The orchestra went into a crescendo behind him and he raised his volume accordingly. Her smile grew and the sparkle in her eyes almost blinded him.

_'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could  
Just see you..._

He finished the last verse like that, staring into her rare and beautiful eyes, letting him smile at her, finally laying to rest almost twelve months of worry. She was here. She was still his.

_If I could fall  
Into the sky  
Do you think time  
Would pass me by  
'Cause you know I'd walk  
A thousand miles  
If I could  
Just see you  
If I could  
Just hold you  
Tonight_

The minute he pulled the microphone away from his mouth, she kissed him. They didn't even hear the crowd roaring their approval.


End file.
